This is an account of what happened two hours ago. I'm noding this before it's relegated to the teflon-coated backwaters of my brain.

Scene: small family of three eating supper. M., girl, three, heaving down Loops. W., boy, five, spoonfed by old man toalight. That's the way he eats. He has to. Daddy is tired, thinking of coffee and a cigarette, not quite concentrated on the tasks at hand. The angel and the devil inside are primed and ready however, raring to take over the situation.

That phrase will forever remind me of the outrageously nerdy, yet somehow charismatic Steve Urkel, from the show Family Matters. The show aired from 1989 to 1997 on ABC, and was then purchased by CBS to run for another season, until it was cancelled, along with the other longtime ABC programs bought up with it. Originally, Family Matters was a spin-off of another popular, wholesome series, Perfect Strangers. The show followed the Chicago based Winslow family, and explored trials and tribulations found throughout everyday family life. Possibly one of the keys to the series’ success was the large cast of main characters, which allowed for an abundance of episodes to be produced following each of the family members. The list of main characters included:
The Winslow Family:

Harriet Winslow (Jo Marie Payton (1989 – 1997) and Judyann Elder (1998)): the matriarch of the Winslow household. She is the voice of reason in the family, and keeps Carl in line.

“Eddie” Winslow (Darius McCrary): the eldest son of the family. He’s popular, and into sports, but a little slow when it comes to more intellectual activities. One of Steve’s best friends.

Laura Winslow (Kellie Shanygne Williams): the eldest daughter of the family. She’s smart and popular. Steve has a huge crush on her, but she never really reciprocates the feeling.

Judy Winslow (Valerie Jones (pilot only) and Jaimee Foxworth): the youngest of the Winslow children. More than anything, she seems to be the tagalong of the family, and very little focus is placed on her character.

“Grandma” Winslow (Rosetta LeNoire): Carl’s mother, and the advice giving sage of the family. She’s always there to comfort a troubled soul. Often, she provides some sort of conclusion to an episode.

Rachel Crawford (Thelma Hopkins): Harriet’s younger sister. She moved in with the Winslows with her son Riche, and provides parental support for others when possible.

Steve Urkel (Jaleel White): pesky, nerdy, and overall annoying neighbor to the Winslows. He is in love with Laura, good friends with Eddie, and constantly gets himself into predicaments with Carl. The comedic relief of the series.

Waldo Geraldo Faldo (Shawn Harrison): Eddie’s best friend. He’s got a heart of gold, an empty head, and is a master chef. Laughs are had at his expense when he misuses certain words. A genuinely likable character.

3J (Orlando Brown): a streetwise youth that is befriended by Steve when he teaches him to read. He doesn’t appear until 1996.

The charm of Family Matters wasn’t found in daring new ideas or concepts, and it was far from revolutionary programming. In fact, nearly every episode had a moral to it that revolved around the standard sitcom selection, ranging from common human compassion and empathy to race and sex issues. Rather, people came back to it because it was familiar, and they got to know and love the characters. Granted, every now and then there was the occasional plot twist or gimmick episode to spice things up. Steve’s alter ego, Stefan is a perfect example of this. Despite ridiculous concepts like that though, Family Matters was a fan favorite for almost ten years. In fact, Family Matters is placed among the ranks of great programs like The Cosby Show and The Jeffersons as one of the longest running African-American television sitcoms ever, weighing in at a respectable 215 episodes.